MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK
Fossil fuel opponents lobby Africans for support
Proponents of a treaty to end fossil fuel drilling are lobbying African countries to support the legislation, which would essentially stop the continent from exploring its newly discovered resources.
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative was first introduced by the Pacific nations of Vanuatu and Tuvalu at the Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in 2022, but even they realise they need global support to make it a reality.
On August 20, the anti-fossil fuel initiative announced that two Malawian cities, Lilongwe and Mzuzu, had become the first in Africa to endorse the treaty. The treaty aims to ensure that a proposed legal mechanism makes it more difficult for new fossil fuel projects to be launched.
It also calls for existing production to be phased out as the world races to keep global temperatures within 1.5°C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
So far, the proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty has been endorsed by 13 countries, more than 110 cities and sub-national governments, 101 Nobel Laureates, 2,500 civil society organisations, more than 3,000 scientists and academics, and political leaders, including more than 600 parliamentarians from around the world.
But the treaty runs counter to the projects of countries in the region, including Uganda and Tanzania, which are trying to build an oil pipeline to export their crude from the Lake Albert region in Uganda. The two countries have struggled to find financiers after lenders, particularly in the West, backed away from funding the projects for fear of sanctions at home.
Ms Ruth Chingwalu, the deputy mayor of Lilongwe City Council, said her city was taking the opportunity to join others in calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels because of her country’s vulnerability to the current climate crisis. Fossil fuel emissions are now being blamed for a greater proportion of this change.
“To prevent climate catastrophes, urgent action at all levels and international cooperation are essential to ensure a safe and liveable future for us all. In line with this, Lilongwe City Council would like to use this opportunity to foster a fair transition to renewable energy,” Ms Chingwalu said.
In Malawi, climate change is already having a devastating impact on local communities. For example, an estimated 16 million Malawians depend on rain-fed agriculture, meaning a stable climate is crucial for the farming community to thrive. However, since 2019, increasingly erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and the devastating five cyclones that have hit the country in the last five years alone have left the country’s food systems in a fragile state.
Aside from agriculture, Malawi’s recent history of frequent flooding has devastated the lives of many people, especially those living in cities like Lilongwe, where more than 76 percent of the population lives in vulnerable informal settlements. Residents have lost property and lives, and many have been displaced by flooding.
“As Malawi is the Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group, the move by its capital city to advocate for a Treaty is critical to ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable are prioritised in the global transition to a renewable-powered future,” The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative said in a statement.
Kondani Nyasulu, the mayor of Mzuzu City Council, said his city’s endorsement of the treaty was a step in the right direction for his country as Malawi races to achieve its goal of economic and social transformation for its people.
“Mzuzu City Council would like to join others to phase out extraction of coal, oil and gas and thin plastic production through the endorsement of the proposal for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. City councils must pursue a faster, deeper and more ambitious approach to tackling climate change and emission of greenhouse gases that addresses the root cause of these intertwined crises: fossil fuels,” Mr Nyasulu said.
Of Malawi’s 501MW of operational grid capacity, 63MW comes from carbon-emitting diesel plants, according to 2023 local government statistics.
About 86 per cent of the country’s energy comes from wood, which is used for cooking and heating. About 10 per cent of the country’s total energy consumption comes from petroleum products, three per cent from hydropower and one per cent from coal, according to government statistics.
However, the country has no significant oil or natural gas reserves and is therefore heavily dependent on imports to meet its energy needs.
“There is far too much sun shining, wind blowing, and water flowing through our continent for us to continue deepening fossil fuel extraction, which has failed to power our continent or enrich our people.
“Lilongwe and Mzuzu’s call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty is one that should be echoed across Africa for a people-centred just transition to renewable energy, to achieve energy sovereignty and climate justice for our people and our continent,” said Seble Samuel, Head of Africa Campaigns and Advocacy, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.
Original Source: Monitor
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